Screening vs. Interviewing

When it comes to hiring, your company needs to be sure that candidates are qualified and will fit in with its culture. While this sounds simple enough, there’s actually a lot more that goes into the process than just looking at resumes and calling people for interviews. In fact, these steps are just the beginning of what you need to do in order to hire the right person for your business.

Screening Happens First

Screening is the process of weeding out candidates who don’t meet the minimum requirements for a job. It occurs early in the interviewing process, and it’s about finding out if a candidate has what it takes to get past this initial stage.

Screening can be automated via an application process (which asks a series of questions and provides you with automatic feedback), but sometimes human judgment is needed as well. Over the phone, recruiters might ask questions about the candidate’s experience and qualifications, as well as their compensation expectations. Other forms of screening might include questionnaires or skills assessments. Screening is a quick process, often lasting less than an hour.

Screening is critical to the hiring process because it eliminates candidates who don’t meet minimum requirements, saving your organization time and money.

Interviewing Comes Next

Interviews happen once candidates have made it through preliminary screenings and are the most important step in the hiring process.

Interviews are designed to understand whether a candidate will likely be successful in the role they applied for. They give candidates time to elaborate on their experiences, thoughtfully answer behavioral questions, and ask interviewers questions about what it’s like to work at the company. Interviewing helps hiring managers find out what a candidate is really like and determine whether they’ll get along well with other teammates and customers.

Interviews can be done in person or remotely. If a candidate lives far away from your headquarters, it may make sense to conduct the interview via phone or video chat. This is often more convenient for candidates and employers, and research shows that remote interviews are just as effective as traditional in-person ones.

Screening and Interviewing Are Necessary Parts of the Hiring Process but Play Different Roles

Both screening and interviewing are necessary parts of the hiring process, but they play different roles. Screening is about finding candidates who meet the minimum requirements for a job opening. Interviewing is about finding candidates who will be successful in the role, as well as fit with your company and hiring manager (and team).

**Screening focuses on skills and qualifications: **What does this person know? How do they learn? Are they capable of doing this job?

Interviews focus on fit: Is this person excited by our mission? Can they collaborate with others on our team? Will they thrive here based on their style and needs?

It’s important to keep in mind that interviews can make or break candidate experiences and have an enormous impact on the ultimate hiring decision, so it’s important that interviewers know what questions to ask ahead of time. Structured interviews are a great way to get everyone on the same page and prevent bias from creeping into the interview process.